School Lunch box idea no. 1 - Green and Gold Muffins

4th official day into School and I'm allready trying to think of new and exciting things to throw into the lunch box! Oh dear.... I had a quick scour through some recipe books and found an interesting idea from a small Tupperware magazine circa 2004. I've tweaked it a bit and I'm really happy with the end result (or should I say, the big school kid thinks they are yum too!) Also, I had to share the pic of "the big school kid" with a very funny zucchini! We had friends over on the weekend and they brought this from their vegie patch. The kids thought it was hilarious. Mr Zucchini was the life of the party!

ingredients

"Most of these things should be found in your kitchen or vegie patch ;)"

2 cobs of corn
1 small zucchini
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
1 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 egg
2 tablespoons greek style yoghurt

how to make your green and gold muffins

Pre-heat oven to 190C fan forced. grease a muffin tray very! well or use cases.

Cut corn kernals off corn and place in a microwave safe container. Place the lid loosely. Pop in the microwave for 1 minute 30seconds. Set aside.

Grate the zucchini. Set aside

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

In a seperate bowl combine the oil, egg and yoghurt. Add this to the flour mix along with the vegies, parsley and cheese. The mix will be quite wet. Give it a thourouh stir. Spoon into your muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Let stand for a few minutes before turning onto a wire rack. enjoy!

haloumi bites

 I was looking to create something savoury but I was sick of using bread as a carrier for vegetarian food. I LOVE haloumi and I love mushrooms and the last time I had gremolata, well, it was a while ago......think 2004, honeymoon, fresh seafood at Sandy Bay Tasmania......FAB!!! So I thought I would throw the 3 together and see what happened.............These even have the seal of approval from our vegetarian friend Yay!

haloumi bites

1 pack of haloumi
150g mushrooms, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
3 teaspoons lemon zest (roughly 1 small lemon)
1 small clove of garlic finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste


how to make your haloumi bites

You can prep the gremolata up to an hour before serving. Just keep it at room temperature. Throw the last 4 ingredients together (the salt and pepper being to taste - don't add too much though) Slice the haloumi into 3 large pieces and then slice these pieces into 4 pieces so you have 12 pieces that are the same size. Pop some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and place over a medium high heat. Meanwhile, grab a saucepan, pop in some extra virgin olive oil over a high heat. When hot, throw in the mushrooms and a touch of salt. Stir until cooked through. When the frypan is hot enough add the haloumi and after about 40seconds turn them over. (you can see in the pic I overdid them a little bit so keep an eye on them, they don't take any time at all!) When slightly browned on both sides, pull them out and place on your tray. Top with the drained mushrooms and then sprinkle your gremolata mixtures over each bite. Serve and enjoy!

I heart.......Stamp Garlands

I came into a large pack of used stamps with the majority of them from the 1980s a wee while ago. I tried my hand at making them into garlands with my old sewing machine. These 2 here in our little girls room were the very first ones I made. They were in the shop but I just loved the bright mix of colours, I couldn’t let them go! I had asked my Mother in law, who is quite nifty with a needle and thread, if she could make me some bunting for the area where the stamp garlands are now. She did, I put them up but some little person who shall remain nameless (!) kept pulling them down. She went into a bed some months ago now and when we pulled the cot away from the wall it had left these – grooves. I needed something pretty to hide them. The fabric bunting wasn’t working so I tried the stamp garlands instead. They hide the grooves and Miss nearly 3 hasn’t even touched them – hurrah!

 I think they are so sweet. Over the festive season I had them all through the house and everyone who came to visit loved them. I gave many away as gifts too. Something a little bit different I guess, plus they don’t take up too much space. I have listed the last few I have left in the shop but I will keep these 2 in my daughters room for us; a little reminder of the fun I had making them. Take a peek. You never know, you might just have a spot for one!

Enamel Loves Kids

Hello 2012! I hope you had a wonderful break over Christmas and New Year. We have been enjoying days by the beach, fossicking in faraway corners and lots and lots of icecream......YAY!

Having friends over during the holidays has got me thinking about entertaining when there are lots of kids in a small space. For me, I can't go past my enamelware collection.  Over the years I have collected quite a few pieces. I have sold some in the shop but here are some of the pieces I have kept for myself. The lidded dishes are great for Summertime - they can hold dips, chips, crackers or even sliced ham and they stay fly free! The tray is great for cut fruit, watermelon looks so beautiful on this one and the open bowls are good for candy and lollipops. Kids can throw these  around,which may give them another ding or two, but I think this just adds to their vintage appeal. When we have families over I am always determined to keep it pretty and I think these pieces are simply that...have fun...maria x

Favourite Finds

Carla from Favourite Vintage Finds has featured me a few times on her beautiful blog recently. Once showcasing my kitchen and the 2nd showcasing my Etsy Shop. SO very kind of her to do so plus it got me thinking. I like people who get me thinking ;)

I started thinking about things that mean something to me. I took a walk around our house and I can remember why I bought something or who owned it before it was ours, who made it or why something means so much to me. It’s nice to be surrounded by things we love. Our Favourite finds....

Heres a little sneak peek into my daughters room. This huge framed alphabet is actually a cross stitch that my Mother in law made when my husband was a toddler. It is phenominal! The hours that went into making it. I love it. And I have it right in the centre of the main wall in my daughters room. Everyone who takes a look in there is always drawn to it.

Here is the top of my daughters small wardrobe. The buggy and basket are sweet vintage finds. The shoes were actually mine when I was 1. My Father bought them for me when we were at the Blue Mountains. He died when I was 15 so these few items that I have left of him mean a lot to me. The mosaic is a piece I bought when I worked at an Art Centre many years ago. It was by a student whose name I still remember … I loved the use of old china in amongst the shiny mosaics…..she called it, “After Chagall”……I just fell in love with it!

Here is the main wall in our bedroom. We have an old chest of drawers that were made in the early 1900s and on top of this – an old wooden box which belonged to my husbands father. Some beautiful vintage glassware that I’ve had for years and years and a pretty toile covered memo board that holds many memories indeed. A card that our good friends gave us from America after we’d had our 2nd child; our first Valentines cards to eachother; the last Christmas card my Grandmother gave me before she passed away; a postcard from the movie, Frida – inspiration for my weddinghair! are just a few.... The art works on the wall to the left are beautiful postcards from Newspaper Taxi, a gift from my friend Caroline. To the right, some little bird matchbox covers from Raemj on Etsy and above this a beautiful print by Botanical Artist, Lesley Elkan. While I was at the art Centre she took a printmaking class once a week and this was one of her works. Apprently it had printed incorrectly while on the presses and for whatever reason she wasn’t happy with it. For once in my life I was in the right place at the right time!

So Thank you Carla for featuring me on your beautiful blog. It really means a lot to me and it reminded me of all the things around me that I love...


Have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends everyone.

Eat, drink and be Merry!

maria xx

broad bean and haloumi spring salad

It's been a while, I know. I wont bore you with the details ;)

We had about a million broad beans growing in our vegie patch.......ok, one million might be stretching it....but it was close!
What to make?, what to make? They can be a little fiddly the ol' broad bean but I think they are spectacular! Pod them the day before or whenever you have time. Boil them for about 5 minutes, cool slightly and then take the tough outer skins off. This part can be done a couple of hours before serving too - just keep them covered in the fridge.

ingregients

approx 1kg broad beans (once podded you will need about 300 - 350g)
180g haloumi
basil leaves
mint leaves (optional)
toasted pine nuts (optional)
olive oil
sea salt and freshly grinded black pepper

how to make your broad bean and haloumi salad

Put some oil in a frying pan and place over a mid to high heat. Cut your haloumi into your desired shape. When oil is ready place your haloumi and brown for a minute or so, turn over and brown the other side. Take off the heat and add the broad beans that have had the tough outer skins taken off. Warm through. Add a handfull of torn basil leaves and 1 or 2 mint leaves if you have them.Add a good dash of sea salt and freshly grinded black pepper. Toss gently. Once plated add a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some toasted pine nuts, if using.

enjoy!

maria xx

Double comfort, double happiness - Fetta Pasta

I am still tweaking that recipe that I keep rabbiting on about! It better be good, right? Gee, I hope so!

Anyway, for now this is a recipe that I grew up with. This was my ultimate fast food. Piping hot spiral pasta mixed with grated fetta cheese that had been left out at room temperature while the pasta was cooking. HEAVEN. Yep, That was it. These days I drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil over my bowl and add a dash of pepper - but the flavours remain the same.....see what you think.

ingredients

for 4 people

about 250g greek fetta

about 500g spiral pasta

extra virgin olive oil and pepper to serve, if preferred

How to make your Fetta Pasta

Pop large pot on to boil. When boiling add salt and pasta. Grate fetta cheese and set aside. When pasta is ready. Drain quickly, trying to retain heat and throw it back into the pot. Throw in the fetta cheese, reserving some. Mix through and pop into bowls. Drizzle with oil and pepper if using and top with reserved fetta cheese. Serve immediately.